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Humphreys' Team Ready to Challenge for Win at Richmond |
NHRA Rookie of Year Nominee Justin Humphreys
Ready to Contend for Torco Racing Fuels Nationals Win
As one of five nominees for this year’s Automobile Club of Southern
California Road to the Future Award (also known as NHRA’s Rookie of the Year), Pro
Stock driver Justin Humphreys thinks the time is right to begin swaying those
casting ballots.
A victory in the Torco Racing Fuels Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park
near Richmond, Oct. 5-7, would bring attention his way. The event is in a
prime location for the Monrovia, Md., resident because it is less than a
two-hour drive from home and there will be plenty of friends and family watching
this weekend.
“It definitely is exciting to be one of the nominees for the award,” said
Humphreys, driver of the RaceRedi Motorsports/Knoll-Gas Energy Pontiac GTO. “
It shows some people have been paying attention to us. I wish we would’ve
had a better start to the season, but we have picked up our performance
recently. Our goal is to win at least one of the last three races.”
He qualified a career-high fifth for the Dallas race (Sept. 23) and advanced
to the quarterfinal round before a faulty transmission sidelined him. But
team consultant Bob Glidden, a 10-time Pro Stock champion and 85-race winner,
and the crew made transmission repairs that should enable him to make the
necessary shifts without interruption at VMP’s quarter-mile track. “We are going
to test at Maryland International Raceway (Budds Creek, Md.) Tuesday and
Wednesday to work on some new parts we are trying,” Humphreys added.
He couldn’t get the car to shift into second gear on his quarterfinal run at
Dallas after he bolted to a quick lead with a near-perfect .003-second
reaction time against Allen Johnson. “We had a good car there and it was
disappointing,” Humphreys, 30, recalled. “The same thing happened earlier in the
year at Norwalk (Ohio). We want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“This is the last of the races this year that are close to our home,” he
continued. “I hope we have a good race, qualify well and win some rounds
before our home fans. The track is pretty fast so it should be exciting.”
The former Sport Compact and Nopi series driver has been to two semifinal
rounds this season in the highly-competitive Pro Stock category. His
performances began improving when the team signed with veteran engine builder Richard
Maskin early in the campaign, and Maskin, in turn, brought in Glidden to find
the tuning consistency needed to win rounds and, ultimately, races.
The other nominees for the Road to the Future award include Ashley Force
(Funny Car), Craig Hankinson (Pro Stock), Barry Henson (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
and Matt Scranton (Pro Stock). The winner will announced at the annual awards
ceremony Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.
Only races at Las Vegas (Oct. 28) and Pomona, Calif. (Nov.4) remain after
the Torco Racing Fuels Nationals.
# # #
Evan Knoll, founder of Knoll Gas-Torco Racing Fuels and a major sponsor of
motorsports, has dedicated himself to bringing high quality racing fuel to
every aspect of motorsports.
The company offers commercial and racing oils and lubes; SKULL Shine, a
complete line of car care products; SKULL Gear, a complete line of apparel,
traction compound, and racing-related accessories.
For more information on Torco Racing Fuels, SKULL Shine Car Care Products
and SKULL Gear apparel, please visit: www.torcoracefuels.com or www.torcoracefuels.com. |
